Those Other Friends
by CrotchetyCrab
Summary: "They aren't bad people, they just have things to hide." Leo is healing, the brothers restless. April is still dealing with the loss of her parents, and Casey isn't capable of holding them together. When the city needs saving, sometimes the most unlikely of help comes from strangers. [Raph/OC/Leo love triangle]


C.C: Hello everybody! This will be my first story posted here on . I haven't been writing in a long time, so it might be a little shaky in the beginning, but I should grow more confident with it as I practice and push myself. I hope you enjoy the story!

The story settings are towards the end of the group's stay at the O'Neil farmhouse.

* * *

Chapter One

Beauty and the Tree Watcher

* * *

April was usually one of the first people awake at the farmhouse. Leo could never be beaten. He was always up at the crack of dawn, either meditating on the front lawn or taking a walk along the edge of the forest. Sometimes Donnie was up too, pitter-pattering around downstairs before quietly sneaking out to the barn to continue his research on Retromutagen.

Raph woke up a little after April. Somewhere between the sun rising and when the air finally began to warm up for the day. He would wander down to the kitchen and find her making coffee or some food.

Today, things were different.

"Where did all the eggs go?" April muttered to herself as she peered into the fridge. She had the once semi-organized shelves a complete disaster as she rummaged through the massive amount of leftover foods they had accumulated. Why did they need so much? Two thirds of it was rotten, or beginning to grow life forms. What she was mostly confused about was how they lived on a farm, raised chickens, and yet mysteriously had no eggs to prove it. April remembered having a carton or two newly filled yesterday.

"The question is, _who_ took them?"

April closed the fridge door with a little too much force. It slammed rather loudly, and she grimaced, wondering if any of the guys had woken up from the sound. Casey and Mikey could sleep through a tornado, but Raph-

Right on cue she heard scuffling and a quiet voice above her head. April sighed. Of course she'd woken him up, and of _course_ she was going to hear all about it. Deciding against standing there, waiting for her lecture, she dragged her feet through the kitchen entrance and towards the front door.

She had her shoes on by the time his bedroom door opened and slammed shut. Raphael stalked down the stairs two at a time. For a turtle shorter than her by a couple inches, he had legs that could stretch twice her distance. Being trained in intense ninjutsu since childhood could make someone stupidly flexible, April supposed. She didn't miss the fact that Raph's mask was off center by a hair, and tied messily behind his head. His armour pads and sai holsters were missing too.

April braced herself as Raph beamed straight at her. He closed the gap between them quickly, putting his face inches from her. She squinted at his lime green eyes the entire time he leered at her, but she didn't look away.

"What the hell were you doing in there?" Raph growled. "It's six in the morning, April!"

"I know that, and I'm sorry! It was an accident."

"An accident that woke me up!" For the first time Raph took in her appearance and he frowned. His anger seemed to fizzle out when he noticed her shoes and the sweater in her hand. "Wait a second, where are you going?"

April sighed. "To Bernie's General store… I'm not sure why, but we've run out of eggs over night. I don't understand how because the chickens laid a bunch yesterday afternoon, but I don't want to sit around and wait for them to lay again. I'm just going to buy a few for breakfast."

"Okay, whatever, just don't make so much noise in the morning, again! I'm never going to get back to sleep now."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, April turned away from Raph and reached out for the front door. "Oh, I'll try," she didn't bother hiding her sarcasm. Whether or not Raph noticed, he didn't let it show. April opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. She threw her sweater over her head and poked her arms through the holes. The van keys were in her hand, and she waved them at Raph as she walked down to the driveway.

"I'll be back in like twenty minutes," she told him.

Raph merely grunted in return. He lifted his wrist and flopped what might have been a half-assed wave at her. April made her way to the van and heaved herself into it. When she looked back at the house, the front door was shut and Raph was gone.

"God he's so grumpy sometimes," April muttered under her breath. She slid the key into the ignition and twisted until the roar of the engine told her to stop. Grabbing the shift stick she slid it into reverse and twisted her body to stare out the rear window. "No wonder Donnie calls him an ass more often than not."

The only general store around was Bernie's. April couldn't give the place too many good reviews. There was little to choose from, and while it was always stocked, sometimes certain items never came again once she bought them. Bernie himself was kind, albeit rather jittery. Ever since the turtles defeated the dream beavers, the old man's nerves were much more settled. He told her every time she visited how he slept better and better every night, and didn't have nightmares or felt terrified in his sleep.

As April drove along the road she gazed into the forests and open landscape around her. Her family's farm house was amazingly beautiful. April saw only a handful of houses like hers around, and the amount of distance between them were hundreds of acres. The air was sweet, especially so early in the morning. April breathed it in greedily while she drove. The open window made her hair whip around her face. The hum of the van, the bouncing of the road's crudely paved surface, and everything around her gave rise to the thousands of memories she had of her parents.

Immediately guilt surged through the red head's system. She saw her father's face as it twisted in pain when mutagen drenched him for the second time in his life, and his body crumpled, only to rise as a disgusting Kraang creation. She remembered the fear and intense pain of joy when her mother was seemingly resurrected. Then she was taken away again, but April knew she never truly had her back in the first place… and honestly, that hurt so more.

Yet here she was, using their old house as if it was all okay. She remembered running through the halls as a child, jumping up and down the stairs, and rolling across the grassy fields squealing at the top of her lungs.

It was a horrible feeling of betrayal. She understood how unnecessary it was. Her father would be more than happy to let her friends stay, and April hadn't seen her mother since she was a child. Still, being in that house without them, making new memories with the turtles - regardless of them being her new family… none of it felt right without her father, and with the knowledge of the Kraang ship under the house's foundation, April now thought about her mother almost as much as her parental figure. Her memories were bogging her down, holding her back from being truly at peace or happy.

She knew the only thing to do was wait. The turtles would help her revive New York City. She would save her father, and they would properly discuss her mother. Maybe the Kraang did have her held up somewhere. Maybe she was alive.

And even if she wasn't, April still wanted to find her.

The van's wheels loudly dug into the gravel as she pulled it into one of the makeshift parking spots out front of Bernie's. As April climbed out of the vehicle and shut the door, she noticed a small blue car parked off to the side in another semi-parking slot. Through the front windshield she could make out the figure of a person sitting behind the wheel. The car's engine was off though, and April's brow furrowed curiously. She had yet to run into anybody at Bernie's. She didn't realize others would be awake this early.

Pushing forwards, April made her way into the tiny general store. Bernie was behind his counter as usual, broom in hand, humming softly to himself. Upon her entrance he glanced over and smiled toothily. "Hey, April! Good morning!"

"Morning, Bernie." April smiled back as she crossed to the other side of the store where the eggs and other breakfast foods were.

Turning the corner of a shelf, she nearly face planted into someone's back. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, hands up in defence to make more distance between her and what could have been a horrible accident.

The person turned and April's breath was lost for a moment.

It was a boy who looked no older than her. He was taller by a few inches with slim shoulders and toned arms. Short, chestnut brown hair was styled off to the side, with a tuff of bleached hair at the front for his bangs. He wore a pair of dark square glasses. Behind the lenses were a pair of incredible green eyes. April thought she saw little fragments of gold in his iris'. His jaw was square, yet narrow, and he had the slightest hint of stubble on the sides of his face. A few piercings dotted his nose and mouth, along with a handful in his ears. He was tanned, and when he smiled politely down at her she saw straight white teeth peek out under his lips.

"It's okay," he said quietly. His voice was lighter than Leo's, but it held the same note of protectiveness in his tone. "I'm sort of standing in the middle of the aisle, so…"

April laughed loudly, sounding tense and awkward. She instantly regretting it, and wanted to cover her face from the embarrassing outburst. Of course the only time she meets a model looking boy she starts acting like a weirdo…

To the boy's credit he didn't look fazed by her strange sounds. April cleared her throat and forced a smile. "No worries! I'm just here to eggs some buy- I mean, buy some eggs. Yes. Eggs." She pointed past him at the small cooler holding refrigerated items. "Our chickens ran out of them."

"Oh." The boy's expression faltered into confusion briefly. "That's a shame! I hope they, um, recover?"

"Yeah, they will, I'm sure." April nervously stepped around the gorgeous teenager, trying hard not to linger in her staring. He seemed slightly amused, if not a little uncomfortable by her odd conversation making. "A-anyways, I should grab my eggs! It was nice running into you!"

He laughed, but it sounded forced even to April, and her stomach curled in humility from the sound. "Yeah, you too." He put his back to her and scooped a few more jars of jam into his basket before hurrying to the counter where Bernie stood, watching them intently.

With the boy gone, April felt like she could breathe again. Her head was a thousand times clearer. As she peered into the cooler, pretending like egg picking was the hardest choice in the world, she listened to the boy timidly talk with Bernie.

"So, boy, you're sure up early! Not getting into trouble are you?" Bernie asked, his words slightly harsh, but his tone uplifting and meaning no harm.

"N-no, no! I'm just… My, uh… my friend and I got into our place really early and we have no food, so…"

"Ha, ha, I'm just teasing you, pretty boy! Haven't seen you around before is all. You livin' nearby, I assume?"

"Y-yeah. Down the road."

He didn't elaborate on which house specifically. Bernie was quiet, as if waiting for that certain piece of information. Once he realized he wasn't getting it, he switched to more professional questions about the price of the items and if he needed bags. April heard the movement of items and plastic being shifted around until Bernie chirped, "There ya go! Hope I see you later!" and the boy thanked him gratefully.

April peeked over her shoulder to watch the beautiful brunette leave the building. He didn't give a second look as he darted out of there, and April's heart sunk. He was so… _perfect_. She totally blew it with him.

'Not that I have much of a chance', she thought to herself bitterly. Her hands automatically gathered the eggs she wanted, and for good measure she snagged another milk. The turtles and Casey tended to burn through those relatively quickly too. 'I'm a huge weirdo. I fight aliens and criminals, while not even being one hundred percent human.'

Bernie stared at her while she dumped the items on the counter. His brow raised higher at her loud, drawn out sigh. "Somethin' botherin' you, April?"

"Don't worry about it, Bernie," April waved him off as kindly as possible. "Just usual April problems."

"Well," Bernie bagged her purchases without asking if she wanted it done or not, and she slid the amount he rang up over to him without question, "I hope they work themselves out for ya."

April took the bags by their handles and smiled at the aging man. "Thanks, Bernie, I appreciate that."

When she stepped out of the general store she saw the taillights of a blue car heading down the road in the same direction of the farm house. Momentarily, April wondered if the boy lived close to her, but the thought was washed away with the embarrassment of their encounter. She groaned as she climbed into the van and put the groceries on the passenger seat. "Way to go, O'Neil… way to go."

* * *

"Mikey, stop running off!"

Michelangelo whooped and hollered as he swung through the branches of the trees with practiced ease. His brothers trailed along underneath the towering oaks and pines.

Since they moved into the farmhouse with April and Casey, the turtles were bent on training in a new terrain. Forests, rivers, moss, bushes… new, foreign surroundings a handful of sewer raised reptiles were _not_ by any means used to. They had already run into their share of trouble around their new home. Leonardo was tired of seeing his siblings flail to hide themselves properly. Not that he was much help. His leg wouldn't let him push himself too much. Fighting mutants was becoming a hazard for his safety, and the others.

It killed him inside. He refused to let it show to his brothers, though.

So he watched Mikey hop tree to tree, shrieking with glee and yelling down at them, "Aw, c'mon, bros! You just wish you could keep up with me!" Different ways to gloat, as usual.

Donatello sighed into the air, kneading his temples. "It's like dealing with a twelve year old," he muttered venomously.

"Well, he is fifteen," Leo couldn't help himself from defending Mikey. He got more than enough flak as it was, and it didn't bring him a huge amount of joy to hear the others berating the little energy ball.

Raph scoffed. "Don't worry, Donnie, he'll get what's coming to him."

As if the red banded turtle flipped a switch, Mikey's sounds immediately turned to screams of horror when he slipped from a branch and face planted into another tree's trunk. There was a loud shudder, and the ground shook slightly as leaves fell like snow to the ground from the impact. Mikey whined as he slid comically to the forest floor, flopping backwards into a pile of dirt and grass.

Leo and Donnie peered down at the youngest when they reached him. Mikey was moaning, his eyes rolled back into his head. "You alright, bro?" Leo asked, unable to hide the worry in his voice.

Raph's laughter grew stronger when Mikey lifted a shaky thumbs up. "Totally worth it, dude," he squeaked softly.

"Man, that was too good," Raph pretended to wipe a tear off his cheek. "You should screw up like that more often, Mikey. Only doing harm to yourself for once."

"Hey!"

"Raph, lay off," Leo shot back. He gave Donnie a warning glare when the tallest turtle couldn't hide his smirk. "Mikey, want help up?"

"Nah, it's all good, homie."

"Alright…"

Mikey struggled to bring himself to his feet. In the end, Donnie gripped his belt and hauled him up with a slight bit of issue. Leo made sure Mikey was truly okay and clear headed, before he put his hands on his hips and said, "Okay, well, this place should be good enough as any. Do you guys remember Raph's turtle hunt training?"

"Do we ever," Donnie's head lolled to the side as he remembered Bigfoot and the hell they went through with her. The memories were partially fond, but he would be lying if he said he missed any of it.

"Good. That's what we're doing today. I'll go looking for you guys, so make sure you hide better than you did with Raph."

"I would call that hiding at all," Raphael grumbled, crossing his arms. "Besides, you sure you're feeling up to this, Fearless?"

Leo swallowed the irritation that rose in his throat. His brother's worries were understandable, but unwanted. "I can manage to follow three ninjas through a forest, Raph."

Raph bristled. "Whatever, do what you want."

* * *

Up in the branches above, a figure sat lazily among the foliage. Their legs swung leisurely, intently watching the four humanoid turtles mingle together and communicate. They couldn't hear the words being exchanged, only murmurs and voices. Still, the sight of bipedal reptiles moving and acting like people was more than enthralling enough.

They continued to inspect the group as they left the area. Standing, the figure waited until they knew they wouldn't be caught before gracefully making their way down the tree. As soon as their boots hit the leafy ground, they were quietly creeping after the brothers.

It took ten minutes to locate them again. When they did, the figure only saw the turtle with the blue bandana. The one holding the crutches. His eyes were closed, and he was counting out loud.

The figure hesitated to move. A chill went down their spine, and with widened eyes they gripped the crystal hanging on their neck.

Barely ten seconds later a cold blade was against their jugular and a breath hotter than summer air grazed their collar.

"You have until the count of five to persuade me to let you go. If not, it was nice meeting you."

* * *

C.C: And that's all. Thanks so much for reading!


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